FINANCIAL
RISK PROTECTION

Our objective is to examine how health care financing
mechanisms can be combined and implemented to strengthen levels of cross-subsidy
in favour of the poorest.

CREHS work in this area involves three main topics:

Benefit/financing incidence analysis of public programmes

Supplier responses to health financing changes

Household responses to ill-health and risk protection
mechanisms

Some research studies have been launched:

India Conducting
studies of the benefit incidence of public health care spending in Tamil
Nadu and Orissa States, and of the Employees State Insurance Scheme in
Tamil Nadu State.

Nigeria Studying
the benefit and financing incidence of health financing mechanisms in
Enugu and Anambra States

Kenya Looking at
a pilot project which provides direct funding to health facilities through
bank accounts

Thailand Examination
of provider responses to Universal Coverage

Substantial progress has also been made with CREHS related work.

The South Africa Costs and Coping
(SACOCO) study was completed in 2007. This examined poor households ability
to cope with the cost burdens of ill-health, how the health system shapes
their health-seeking behaviour and treatment strategies, and the resources
used by poor households in tackling barriers to care.

Our Tanzanian and South African partners continue to
be involved in the EU-funded SHIELD
project which examines the role of social health insurance in South Africa,
Tanzania and Ghana.